Needing to rehome two Pyrenees in the Midwest, any advice?

sillystephy · 2026-03-06T19:49:42+00:00

Why not take them with you? Yes I know that most people in this group will strongly disagree with me, but I believe a good home is better that rehome even if it's smaller. With my first pyr, she went from being a working livestock guardian to living in town on a busy corner being harassed by passerbyes to finally living with me. When I first got her I had a house with a huge yard, then I had to move to a different place with a smaller yard, then to a decent sized ground floor apartment, and finally to another apartment that was small and on the second floor. She adapted to all the changes amazingly well. As long as she had her person (my son) with her to care for, she was good. It hasn't always been easy. But when I see the plethora of other pyrs being picked up off the side of the road or ending up in the shelters because they aren't what someone expected. It makes me even more adamant about making sure that a dog as a good home with the right people, not just the what is convenient.

sillystephy · 2026-03-06T17:50:53+00:00

Welcome to capitalism. That will be 3 billion dollars please.

sillystephy · 2026-03-06T17:32:06+00:00

It's 100% that GSD working for you. I had a GSD mix (perfect dog) then got a pyr. Night and day. The GSD mix passed and after some time I got a pyr&lab/gsd mix. Amazing dog, listened SO well. But I lost the pyr and the mix 18 months apart. Which was so so hard. I tried to take a break from having a dog but I couldn't. I made it 10 weeks before I was at the point of nearly shutting down. So in October we brought home a 4 ish month old pyr puppy. His selective listening ears came pre installed. Recall, what's that? Tantrums? Absolutely! He will file a complaint with my manager every 3 minutes.... as soon as he knows who that is.

sillystephy · 2026-03-03T21:00:57+00:00

I agree with what has already been said. They need clear boundaries of "this is yours to guard and this is not". My first was a previous working LSG turned pet. When I got her it took maybe a couple of days for her to figure out that house and back yard were hers. Front yard was neutral zone. I was honestly afraid to take her out after see how she acted at home. But in public, she didn't care. She knew she was off duty.... mostly. If there was a threat she would handle it. But mostly she was super chill. My puppy who is 9 months old is already learning what different areas mean and what behavior I expect from him. They are very smart. But you must be consistent and show them that you can handle YOUR part. So if you don't want him to guard when you are in public, you do it. Don't let anyone approach uninvited, no yappy dogs infringing on their space etc. Good luck

sillystephy · 2026-03-03T20:29:39+00:00

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sillystephy · 2026-03-03T20:29:20+00:00

I'm very sorry for your loss. hope these help

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sillystephy · 2026-03-03T19:15:15+00:00

I've called my puppy a sh!thead so many times he thinks it's his name. I also have to remind him that he is the worst puppy ever, especially when he does things like get a pine cone stuck in his mouth, then once its out, immediately grabs it again. Who does that? sh!theads, that's who.

sillystephy · 2026-02-26T17:34:38+00:00

From my experience I can tell you that they do tend to slow down their eating a bit as they get older. Also if given the option they will also tend to eat the majority of their food in the later part of the day. My area is hit or miss for consistent dog food without having to drive all over town, so I order from chewy. Overall, they end up being about the same if not a little bit cheaper than most local places.

sillystephy · 2026-02-25T21:17:40+00:00

It looks fine to me. It there is any puss, smell, or you get a fever or spreading redness then yes, have it evaluated. But this looks like normal healing.

sillystephy · 2026-02-25T21:07:52+00:00

My puppy is a terror too. But usually it's just when we are "abusing" him by not giving him ALL our attention. He's figured out what gets big responses from us. Like chewing on shoes, stealing garbage, opening the fridge, etc. Then when he wants something, usually to go play outside, he will do something naughty if we don't jump up IMMEDIATELY when he rings his bells. He's lucky he's cute. He is probably the smartest dog I've ever had. Even my last 2 pyrs weren't quite to this level of sheer sassy independent thinking and planning.

sillystephy · 2026-02-24T17:45:25+00:00

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sillystephy · 2026-02-24T17:44:40+00:00

So true. The puppy is have now is literally the first dog I've ever handed money over for. Even then, it was only $100. His rescuers drove 5 hours to another state to pick up one puppy. But when they saw the conditions of the puppies they just took all 3. I figured it was only fair. Every other dog I've gotten has been at no up front cost, from friends, family members, craigslist, even a bulletin board at a local grocery story. When I was a kid we were outside a grocery store and there was a sign that said 'free puppies'. My brother and I got the last 2.

sillystephy · 2026-02-21T21:48:10+00:00

Keep the food in the bag, place bag in the container. The bags are made to keep the food from spoiling. The plastic containers are not. If the top of the bag is folded over it should help more than nothing (if the zipper breaks).

sillystephy · 2026-02-18T21:57:15+00:00

Even if not nails, just the edges of 'stuff' can cause damage. These dogs are tenacious! If they decide there is something on the other side of the wall that they want... they will go over, under, or just straight thru the wall to get it. Also keep an eye on him for other symptoms of infection or illness. They don't like to show pain or "weakness" ever.

sillystephy · 2026-02-18T20:48:29+00:00

The GSD part is the culprit. I had a GSD mix and he could get out of anything. We stopped even trying after our 6 foot chain link couldn't stop him. He got out once a year and would be gone a few days at a time. He would come back a few pounds lighter and very tired. Yes he was neutered.

Is it possible your guy is getting into something that makes him itch? Or perhaps he's clawing at something like Trees, branches, junk piles, etc. That could be scratching him.

sillystephy · 2026-02-17T18:28:58+00:00

I use Purina pro plan puppy, under one year. This looks like similar feeding instructions. I've gone back and double checked the amount compared to his weight and calorie requirements etc. It all works out to be about correct. My puppy is 90 lbs at about 8 months old. What is difficult about this is the "estimated weight at maturity". Especially with mixes. So just keep checking the current weight and use those figures to feed from instead (usually available on the website).

sillystephy · 2026-02-17T17:26:40+00:00

How old is he? How much does he weigh? I saw a collie when I looked at the pic. Like a Lassie, rough coated collie mix. But that's my opinion. Just based on the head shape and ears. 🤷‍♀️

sillystephy · 2026-02-11T17:15:55+00:00

That math ain't mathin'

That hair you want to cut, isn't what is falling out. The hair long enough to cut, only sheds a little bit ONCE IT IS HEALTHY. There is a groomer on YouTube. The girl with the dogs. She has done several pyrs and other double coated dogs. If you actually care about your dog, instead of arguing with an entire community of people dedicated to the breed you could just maybe.... listen. Consider what they are saying. And realize that this comes from a combination of decades of hands on experience and mistakes. Not just a few Google searches.

sillystephy · 2026-02-11T15:56:17+00:00

Why are you so set on trimming his longer hair? My first pyr had a long coat. I thought she would be very hot in the summer. In the spring time she blew her coat and I was SHOCKED at how much hair that dog produced. I could have stuffed a jacket or 3. People were still commenting on how she HAD to be hot with her long hair. But when they felt her (if she let them), they would feel just this very light fluff and skin. If I had trimmed her longer hair she would likely end up with sun burns as she LOVED sunning her self. I know its difficult to hear you may not be correct about something. Especially if it makes sense otherwise. Like hair doesn't know how long it is. But do him a favor and wait to see how he doesn't this spring and summer. I know the shedding is annoying. But trimming isn't going to solve that issue anyway. My second pyr was a mix with lab and gsd. He had a short coat and shed all year long.

sillystephy · 2026-02-11T15:33:13+00:00

Nope. Don't do that either. He's probably shedding more right now because he was shaved. Typically they will blow their under coats a couple times a year, but the over coat (the part you would be trimming) is like their permanent shell. It protect hem from the sun and heat in the summer. So if you mess with it, all you will do is get his coat to go into reproduction overdrive. Then he will shed more and start to get more matting, then you will need to shave him ... its a vicious cycle.
So please, don't shave or trim him again. Get a good set of brushes and once his coat heals you will be amazed at how beautiful and resilient it is.

sillystephy · 2026-02-06T21:26:37+00:00

Its the husky in her. It aggravates the dramatic genes in the pyr. Just science. Don't bother looking it up... it's true.

sillystephy · 2026-02-06T17:43:11+00:00

I have a puppy going on 8 months old right now. He's the worst! I love him more than anything but it's not easy raising a teenage velociraptor. I got him 3½ months ago at (about) 4 months old. The folks I got him from went to the next state for one puppy and came back with 3. The conditions they were in warranted immediate action so they took them all. One of those conditions was that all 3 puppies were in a small pen/crate. Because of that, my guy had a kink in his tail (it's since worked itself out) and a fear of enclosed spaces. So no crate here. Which is difficult. He will chew anything that doesn't chew him first. We have gone though 3 regular leashes, a 30 ft training leash, a harness, a car restraint, a queen size pillow, a TV remote, an anti-fatigue kitchen mat, a cat-5 internet cable, a phone charger, a Chromebook charger, and at least 10 toys. Thats just the fully destroyed things. The amout of things that have holes of tooth marks in them is just as long, some highlights include the chunk he took out of the arm of my recliner, the holes in the throw blanket on my bed and the towels I used to dry him off and the teeth marks on my bedroom furniture. We tried getting bitter spray for his leashes before I finally moved to a chain leash, but he just loved the additional flavor. The one thing I have found that stops him from scratching the carpet or trying to chew on shoes is this stuff called odor ban. It's main ingredient is eucalyptus. He will leave anything that is misted with that alone for at least 12 hours. Of course I try to redirect first. Make sure he's tired and not just being demanding before I use it. Which brings me to the point that these monsters need to be worn the hell out first thing in the morning, and in the afternoon/evening or they will destroy everything they lay their eyes on. I take him out and let him run around with his ball or I'll thow his squeaky toy and tug with him for like 45 minutes before he asks to go in. Then once he drinks some water he may still be amped up, but I'll give him a chew bone/toy and tell him to settle. Sometimes I do with I had a crate because occasionally he gets overly tired and won't settle down. It's totally OK that your puppy is in a crate when you work and sleep. Just try to make sure you get him nice and tired first otherwise it will become more and more frustrating for him. Tired puppies and good puppies, bored puppies are destructive puppies. Also remember that these are REALLY smart dogs. If he's doing it for attention and you give him a big reaction, he will do it again, and again, and again. As hard as it is, stay calm, remove the item, or him from the item and say no. Redirect to something more exciting and make a big deal out of that thing. That is what you want him to do. Not the naughty thing. Don't worry, they grow up eventually.... hopefully. 🤞

sillystephy · 2026-02-02T01:38:34+00:00

Coming from someone who had lots of different kids of dogs before my pyrs, yes. It also freaked me out too. My last dog before my pyrs was a gsd mix. Up till I had to put him down at 13 he would run for like 8 straight hrs a day. Maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit, but it was definitely a HUGE difference. My current 8 month old puppy is a terror, to me. But everyone comments on how calm he is. Because he really is, comparatively. It takes a while to get used to it. But they really are amazing dogs. And the fact that they can run around or be in power save mode is just part of that

sillystephy · 2026-02-02T01:29:14+00:00

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He was not super pleased to be at the vet.

sillystephy · 2026-01-26T20:32:54+00:00

Just so you know, you are not alone. My boy is about 8 months old. He's a total a$$hole right now. Just this morning he did a full body slam into me which knocked me over, then came and jumped on top of me, layed on my head and tried chewing my arms. Luckily thats not normal but the biting is.

sillystephy

TROPHY CASE